Comment on language/style

The language of the novel is almost poetic in nature as there is a good deal of repetition of phrases throughout paragraphs and sections. In the first chapter of the novel, for instance, almost every one of the paragraphs begins with the phrase “On the boat.” As the narrator begins describing the differences between the lives of the individual Japanese women, she begins using the phrase “Some of us” to begin each sentence. In the section about the women’s first nights with their new husbands, many of the sentences start with the phrase “They took us.” The following quote is an example: "They took us with grunts. They took us with groans. They took us with shouts and long-drawn-out moans.” Notice not only the parallel nature of the beginning of each sentence but also the rhythm of the sentences and rhyming scheme.